Senior Alabama GOP Senator urges voters to reject Roy Moore

Richard Shelby says stories have passed the 'tipping point.'

Alabama’s senior senator, Republican Richard Shelby, went on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to urge his constituents to join him in voting against GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore in Tuesday’s special election for the state’s other seat.

“I didn’t vote for Roy Moore. But I wrote in a distinguished Republican name. And I think a lot of people could that,” Shelby told host Jake Tapper.

Shelby explained that he could not vote for his party’s nominee due to the wide array of credible accusations against Moore of child sexual assault and other sexual misconduct.

“There’s a time, we call it a tipping point, and I think so many accusations, so many cuts, so many drip, drip, drip, when it got to the 14-year-old story, that was enough for me. I said, I can’t vote for Roy Moore.”

Shelby cited his former colleague, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in believing the women who have come forward with accusations and evidence:

“I think the women are believable. I have no reason not to believe them. just like the Attorney General Sessions said. He had no reason not to believe the women. They were credible. But I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened. But there are a lot of stories there, a lot of smoke. Gotta to be some fire somewhere.”

While Shelby said he thinks “the Republican Party can do better,” President Trump offered a full-throated endorsement of Moore on Saturday and has reportedly recorded a robocall urging Alabamans to back the party’s nominee.